Hell In One Man's Eyes
by Menea111
Summary: "One glance from him was hell to fall in." Hannibal is a priest and a serial killer who murders and eats sinners. Unfortunately he finds himself tempted one day when he met a profiler named Will Graham and feel an obsession which torments him to no end. This story is also posted on Archive of our own under my other pen name: Platypus4ever.
1. Concupiscence

**Hell In One Man's Eyes**

 **1: Concupiscence**

 **Hannibal is a priest and a serial killer who murders and eats sinners. Unfortunately he finds himself tempted one day when he met a profiler named Will Graham and feel an obsession which torments him to no end.**

 **Hi everyone! This fic was inspired by the song Hellfire from Hunchback of Notre Dame and the whole Frollo/Esmeralda dynamic (book and movies). I hope you'll enjoy this story, chapters are already posted on Archive of Our Own, so I shouldn't take much time to update, I will mostly read again what I already wrote to look out for mistakes.**

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Father Lecter was, according to everyone, a smart and respectable man, as well as an excellent priest. He was a great preacher and knew how to listen to people and when he wouldn't be working, he would behave like any gentleman of the world and respected people's beliefs. He was very appreciated by his parishioners for his dedication to God and by some of the most mundane personalities of Baltimore for not pushing his faith into everyone's throat and for his civility.

If only they knew…

True, Hannibal Lecter was a gentleman and valued the importance of good manners, and he truly believed in God. His vision of God was just quite…different. While he preached that God was all goodness, he didn't believe it. To him, God was perfection in the way He could be as evil as He could be good, He had set an incredibly complex and entertaining game with mankind and even the Devil couldn't side up with him, because even if Satan was the embodiment of all evil, it was God who wanted him that way and who decided of his place in the Universe. God decided of everything, he was wrath and revenge, powerful and rewarding only toward those he thought as deserving.

Hannibal thought himself as deserving, because he was playing God's game. He was hunting and killing just like God, and the way he consumed human flesh just turned him into what God had wished him to become: a predator. It was God who decided he should be this way, after what happened to Mischa…

He remembered how after her death he questioned God's existence and wondered why he let that happen. Then, when he found the men who hurt her, when he killed the first one, he realized why God let that happen: it had been a part of the game. God just set the events up and watched whether or not young Hannibal could be strong enough to protect his sister and he failed. The boy had his chances, and his life would depend on whether he failed or succeeded. It was like flipping a coin. Now, after that failure, after the coin was flipped, God put him on the path of those murderers in order to make him understand that if he couldn't be a loving big brother, he had to be a vengeful brother. So he killed those men and when one of them revealed that they made him eat a piece of his sister…Well Hannibal knew what God wanted him to become.

Yes, God did gave him a chance, Hannibal couldn't blame God for what happened to Mischa, the Lord let him have his chance and he didn't seize it. He punished himself for that, from time to time, when he was alone in his home, Hannibal would just take his whip, one he possessed since years and would make his body feel the pain his soul still felt over Mischa's death. He would also kill sinners, low and stupid people who were just greedy or libidinous for the very sake of it or who just didn't get a thing about the Lord's true nature. It wasn't as satisfying as killing Mischa's murderers but eating sinners was incredibly enjoyable.

Every time he killed sinners, eat them and fooled the law enforcements he was beating someone at God's great game and he was paying homage to the genius of it.

Overall, Hannibal was content with his existence. He had seen a lot of beautiful things in the world, his passion for art was always growing, he could sometimes met interesting people and he had plenty of sinners to kill. His celibacy vows weren't bothering him either, even if he had another vision of God, he still believed a priest shouldn't lower himself to low carnal needs. Eating flesh was enough for him, sex had never been a very important thing in his life, he had experienced it when he was young and sometimes he did feel desire rose in him, but it wasn't hard to push it away and if it was a little too strong, mortifying his flesh was efficient against it.

The day he saw Will Graham, everything changed however.

The last person he murdered was a businessman named Carl Marlowe who stole a lot of money from a lot of people, and for the first time the FBI had the idea to come and interview him. The man was one of his parishioners and he would often confess to him, that's how Hannibal learned of all his sin and decided Carl had to die. The man was just so petty, running after money like a dog after a car, he didn't even really know what to do with it. Usually, Hannibal avoided killing the people who came at his church or who would confess to him, in order to avoid suspicions but he did an exception. First, he saw only agent Crawford and barely noticed the other man walking with him:

"Father Lecter?"

"Yes? May I help you?"

"You could, I'm Jack Crawford from the FBI and this is Will Graham…"

It was only when he pronounced the name that Hannibal noticed the second man and immediately found him handsome, really handsome. Yet he turned his attention back to agent Crawford and listened as he explained how they found Carl dead.

"His wife told us he went to you a lot recently, do you know anything that could help us?"

"He went to me to confess, you know I can't tell you anything."

"We know secret of confession is something very important to you," agent Crawford said, "but with that kind of crime we need to know as much as possible."

"Did he look tormented recently? Did he talk to you about something out of confession?"

The priest looked at the profiler to answer his question and for a moment, their eyes met, before Will turned away. Then, Hannibal was startled by a strange sensation: his head felt a little lighter as if he had vertigo and something in his chest somehow ached. It didn't last more than a second or two but it was enough to stun him. He found the man handsome already but it wasn't more than admiration for fine human features, until he actually crossed those blue eyes and then…It wasn't as if Hannibal had stared right into his soul or something like that, but he hadn't seen how beautiful the man really was until he saw his expressive eyes.

It became actually hard not to show anything and act as if he was simply worried because of those murders. He had to stop his eyes from devouring Will Graham, he just looked at him from time to time, and he truly did found the man gorgeous. He longed to cross his stare again but for some reason the profiler refused to look straight at him. Instead he gazed at his jaw line, at his lips, his dark hair and his lean frame.

It was wrong, really wrong and he knew it but he just couldn't stop himself and for the very first time since long, he felt lost and unsure because a part of him wanted more and the other wanted it all to stop. It was really rare for Hannibal and he really hated it. When the two men left, he looked at Will Graham leaving and he started to hate the man, as much as he desired him. Everything was fine in his life, he had a purpose, he had followers and preys, no one suspected him and now…It took only one brief encounter to shake him completely, he didn't know what this agent did to make him feel that way but it as efficient!

He locked himself in his office, tried to pray but just couldn't find the strength because each time he would close his eyes he would visualize Will again. God would just throw him in the pit of hell! He was a God of wrath and revenge, and he wouldn't like one of his most faithful followers to lower himself to such things. But that man…His body was desirable but not only…For the few words they exchanged, it seemed that he was smart, of course Hannibal couldn't judge right away but he was pretty sure there was something special about him and it was making things harder. It just woke up a hunger he didn't feel since long.

He did his best to chase away those thoughts. It was wrong, on many levels, not only he shouldn't lust for another man, but he shouldn't assume that this agent did anything to make him feel that way; after all he was just doing his job and nothing else. He didn't behave in a seductive way or said anything suggestive, he had been even a little distant and cold…But strangely this coldness was just giving the man something somewhat inaccessible that…No! Stop…It was only in his mind, Graham didn't try to seduce him, he had to calm down.

Was it God or the Devil playing with him right now? He wasn't sure but he wasn't about to lose so easily. It shouldn't be that hard anyway; he wouldn't see him again after all. He told them all he knew, they had no reasons to come back.

 **Don't hesitate to leave comments, constructive reviews are always appreciated.**


	2. Mortification

**Mortification**

 **I hope you'll enjoy this chapter, I really enjoyed writing it! More creepiness ahead, Hannibal is definitely a twisted priest.**

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Hannibal's night had been difficult, yet after some time he efficiently pushed away the thoughts about the agent, the memory of his face was even starting to fade. He was pretty sure it would be alright, his desire for that man had been stronger than usual, but it wasn't impossible to beat.

The next day however, as he was done giving the second mass of the Sunday, he saw Will Graham entering the church. It was the evening, it would be the last mass and the church would close soon. He felt his guts tighten, and felt a stinging sensation in his lower belly. The agent was simply standing with his arm crossed, waiting for people to get out, giving time to Hannibal to observe him while saying goodbye to some old ladies who praised him for his sermon. Oh he was maybe even more gorgeous than he remembered. The church emptied itself and because he wanted to control the situation he went to the agent first, showing nothing of what he was feeling, being polite as usual.

"Agent Graham? What owe me the pleasure?"

"Good evening father. I came here because I might have other questions for you."

"Of course. Do you want to sit down in my office?"

"No, it's fine, I won't be long."

Lecter crossed his stare again accidentally and felt the same desire, still so intense, maybe even more…He was actually close enough for his sharp nose to grasp his scent. It hadn't been possible yesterday with Crawford's own smells interfering, but now they were alone and he could smell him only. He felt aroused again, even if his smell wasn't anything really special, it was enjoyable, he smelled like the woods under the fresh snow…Without really thinking, he interrupted Graham as he was asking his first question:

"You're not fond of eye contact."

"Uh…No indeed, I'm not."

"Why is that?"

"I find it distracting, you either see too much or not enough. It's kind of hard to focus when you're also scanning someone's eyes at the same time."

As he was saying that, Will stared into Lecter's eyes longer than he did before, and it was enough to make the priest's head spin and lighten while a shiver ran though his body. Those intense blue eyes, pained and vibrant at the same time, with this cold and unreachable air that promised punishment to the ones he would pursue…It was somehow angelic. Yet Hannibal felt more than the respect and admiration an angelic beauty should have inspired him, he was also feeling lust, longing to see those blue eyes suddenly soften under…

He felt his body reacting to the thoughts and focused back on what the man was saying.

"Among your parishioner, has one of them been skipping confession a lot, or showed very strong insurance in his faith and virtue? And when I speak of insurance I mean a sense of superiority compared to the others."

"You're thinking about the killer?"

"Yes."

"Uh…I don't see anyone in particular."

"I'm not talking about someone who showed off, he keeps a low profile but takes religion very seriously and yet won't question his own behavior. He probably showed himself disdainful toward other parishioners but never sanctimonious, he doesn't go out of his limits."

Indeed Hannibal didn't feel the need to confess and felt superior and even if as a priest he did show himself sanctimonious, he was always very careful not to go out of limits. This agent wasn't about to catch him, but he had to admit he wasn't doing bad.

"But that's strange," Hannibal said, "you said he keeps a low profile?"

"Yes…"

"But those fanatics usually expose their faith and thoughts to the world."

"This one is particular. A lot of killers who kills for religious or political matters feel the need to claim their work or think they can't get caught because God protect them. This one does believe in God but he is still lucid enough to protect himself and knows that if he doesn't play cautiously, he could get caught and stopped. His vision of God isn't the one fanatics usually have, for him God has a part of evil in him and plays with humans and he is not a servant but just another player, smaller but a player still. He doesn't think of what he does as good but legitimate, at least in God's eyes. As a player he has to keep his game for himself."

Indeed, it was pretty much what he felt. It was quite fascinating how that man was able to know him like this. Lecter wasn't scared by this, the profiler was far from suspecting him, on contrary it was satisfying to hear Will talk about him like that, to have those words rolling out of those lips… Hannibal hadn't take sex so seriously in his life because he didn't find it really worth it, there was no intellectual dimension to it and it wasn't as powerful as eating human flesh. Sure there was pleasure and intimacy in sex but he couldn't share such a level of intimacy with someone inferior to him and Hannibal hardly found a lot of people who stimulated him intellectually and physically. Except that now, Will Graham was able to attract his body and mind…

The man was gorgeous but he was also smart, and it was only intensifying his desire, if Will had been nothing but an empty shell, spite could have killed lust but no, he wanted him even more.

This intelligence only made him more beautiful, even more angelic. That scent of cold forest with those cold eyes, those fine features and this slender yet manly frame and this strange natural rough grace this man possessed were turning him on. The priest was longing to look into his eyes more but it was impossible to cross his stare and it was just teasing him to no end. When they were done talking, Will just swiftly passed the tip of his tongue on his lips in a thoughtful way, without even looking at Lecter, but the priest had the feeling this gesture was meant for him and for a moment he really considered the idea to reach out to the man and then…Then what?

Graham left at this moment, wishing the priest a good day and Hannibal almost felt humiliated. He had been subjected to that almost painful teasing and the man was just leaving him like that, as if nothing happened? He had to keep his mask, he had to control himself but the urge to rush to the profiler was greater and greater.

He could still run after him, hit the back of his skull to knock him off, then he would lock him in the church and…Lecter clearly saw himself touching the skin, kissing those lips and lie himself over the unconscious man…No! He had to stop this fantasy, Graham was already gone anyway.

Hannibal tried to reason himself again, thinking that it was only in his head but this time he couldn't convince himself of that. Graham came after the second mass, the evening when the night was falling, a moment of the day more appropriate for lustful thoughts; he came alone without Crawford or any other colleague to distract him, and the way he licked his lips and the way he avoided his eyes after letting him look at it…Hannibal was sure he actually plunged his gaze into his for a moment only to tease and torment him even more after, so he would know what he was missing. And the way he left right after licking lips, just another way to tease him…He visualized the tongue caressing his lips and in Lecter's mind, the gesture which had been thoughtful and innocent was becoming sensual, a clear sign of enticement…And the way he just give him a glimpse of his powerful mind, not enough to know him but enough to want him, to fascinate him even more…

That angelic beauty didn't mean holiness; Will Graham was a fallen angel, like the Devil himself, coming to tempt him with a forbidden fruit to take him away from his own heaven. He was angelic and demonic at the same time…Exactly what Hannibal loved…

Chasing away the thoughts were harder this time, this second encounter had been more intimate and intense for the priest. He knew what he would need to do; he really needed to chase this desire.

He went home and started to mortify his flesh; it was one of those rare times when he didn't do it because of Misha. The whip bit harder than usual it seemed. His thoughts started to wander, he thought of the temptation of Saint Anthony in the desert, how the man who decided to live as a hermit had been tormented and tempted by demons all the whiles. Many stories, many paintings had been done on that subject, some said the demons tried to scare him, or to offer him gold, but others would take the form of beautiful naked women in order to make him surrender to carnal desires. He felt like Saint Anthony, he was trying to get closer to God when suddenly Lucifer was trying to lose him.

As he was whipping himself, he couldn't help but imagine Will Graham coming here in his house, undressing slowly for him and asking for his touch lasciviously, just like the succubus tempting St Anthony. In spite of his intention to kill the desire, he felt aroused and the whipping didn't stop it, on contrary it…It was sending jolts of strange pleasure he never felt before while doing this. It intensified the fantasy and the desire.

Hannibal stopped for a moment to whip himself and tried to gather his spirit but he couldn't stop his imagination. In an instant he saw the other man slowly unbuttoning his shirt and visualized himself pushing, crushing Will against the wall, kissing him while they would both run their hands over each other's bodies... It hit him like crazy and he felt the sensation stir in his lower belly. Damn it! He tried to whip himself again but it was no use. The fantasy only intensified as he imagined how the man would look, whimper and pant under him…He imagined Will whispering his name… Hannibal…Just like earlier, he felt the whipping wasn't killing the desire anymore, quite the contrary…It was becoming pleasurable, instead of pushing the thoughts away, it intensified it, the pain was feeling good and…He knew he had to stop whipping himself but he just couldn't, he wanted this…It was too good to resist…

God forgive me…

He fell on his knees after the pleasure reached its peak, panting and his head light and spinning. What was happening to him? He looked at the whip with deception. If this couldn't even help him anymore…It was dooming him instead…He showered and tended his wounds while thinking. What should he do? He kneeled down before the Christ and started to pray and think. One obvious way would be to kill Will Graham, very simply. Yet he didn't know…Maybe he wasn't supposed to do that, he had the feeling there was something more about that man than the sinners he usually killed. He was above his usual preys; he had to know more of him. He wanted more and he felt that the Lord wanted him to play his game instead of ending it in such a simple way. He wouldn't kill Will Graham, at least not for now.

 **Review, please!**


	3. Confession

**Confession**

The next day passed slowly, Hannibal found Will's address and decided he would drove to his house this evening after closing the church, just to see where he lived. His impatience to go there made him want nothing but lock himself in his office and see no one, but he couldn't, people couldn't see that something was tormenting him. When he eventually closed the church, he sighed in relief before going to his car, then he drove to Will's isolated house. He didn't stop there; it could seem suspicious to wander here with no reason. He just caught a glance of the house in order to see where Will lived, it could be useful. It had been hard to resist the urge to stop and approach it, approach that place in which the one he wanted lived. It was stupid he knew it, he waited the whole day for a quick glance, but he couldn't stop himself.

Two days later, the priest went to one of Graham's conference about profiling, careful not to be seen by him. He was already pretty sure that Will was intelligent, seeing him talk about psychology only confirmed it, it was obvious that he wasn't social but he was good to teach and talk in public. It was great to listen to him and look at him this whole time. During the whole time he wanted to get up and go to him, take him out of that room and…He stopped those thoughts, it wasn't the moment at all. He focused on the subject instead, it was interesting, it was about obsessional behavior in crimes. While listening, he got another image in his head, not sexual this time: he could see Will in his living room, sitting in a chair and talking with him casually about the murders he committed. He imagined Will knowing and accepting who he was, and they would discuss that together. Lecter never had anyone he could consider as a real friend.

He spoke with some students in order to know more about him, using all his power in manipulation in order not to look suspect. Apparently, Will Graham was unstable but a very good teacher, his students liked him obviously and he was pretty sure one of his female students had a crush on him. He couldn't blame the young woman. Those little chats weren't really satisfying however; the students didn't know much about their teacher.

Yet he was still rewarded as he soon made a discovery that elated him: Will Graham knew Alana Bloom, one of Hannibal's friends.

Though he was a priest, Hannibal was interested in psychology; he read about it a lot and sometimes attended classes and conferences since years for personal interest. That's how he met Alana, a woman who had his esteem, though her intelligence was limited, she wasn't as stupid as most people, and she was well-mannered and honest. He saw her and Will talking at the end of the conference, he had been careful not to be seen, though he could justify his presence here, he didn't want Will to see him right now, it could appear strange to the profiler who could obviously read well in criminals' minds.

So instead of going directly to Alana he called her one evening for a dinner, pretending he wanted to talk about the death of Carl Marlowe. Of course, Alana accepted. He was pretty impatient though he did his best not to show it, he was pretty sure that Doctor Bloom would be of a significant help. While they were around the table, he simply started by explaining her that Carl Marlowe was confessing to him since years now and his death had been a shock for everyone.

"How are you feeling about it?" She asked while taking a piece of beef (it was truly beef tonight).

"Quite sad, Carl wasn't the best man I ever met, but he was still someone who trusted me and that I was used to see. Of course it's not the first one to die, but usually, my parishioners don't die in such circumstances."

"When will you bury him?"

"Tomorrow, the FBI did everything they could in order to give the corpse back as soon as possible."

"I see…"

"They asked me some questions. I feared I wasn't helping a lot."

"Really?"

"Yeah…Agent Crawford and Graham if I remember well, maybe you know them?"

"Will Graham?"

"Yes, maybe."

"Oh I do."

She fell silent and Hannibal felt something was upsetting her and it could be useful.

"Is something wrong?"

"Well…Will is a friend for me and he is unstable, not insane but fragile mentally speaking. He has…What you could call a gift, his empathic skills are very developed and he can put himself in the mind of anyone with some efforts, criminal minds in particular."

Now, it was much clearer why Graham had been able to understand his motives while killing, Hannibal had to admit it was really interesting.

"It's a rare gift, but I imagine it's double-edged."

"Oh yes, if Will gets too close it can be really disturbing."

"You fear him to identify too much with the killers he tracks down?"

"I know Will would never be like them, he is not that kind of man. But, you know how too much exposure to some horrors can be damaging."

 _That depends on how you play God's game. Sweet Alana…Still so naïve._

Hannibal somehow liked her, she was smart and refined and even though she was naïve, her honesty and goodness could be refreshing. Plus there were moments she could be really useful to him, like now. Though he wanted to ask more about him, he refrained himself, it could appear suspicious.

"You're afraid not to be able to help him are you? I can understand, I often feel that way."

"You're not responsible for Marlowe's death, Hannibal, it's normal to feel guilty but I'm sure you did everything you could."

"I know, I already told that to myself."

They continued to discuss, he pretended to be saddened for Carl's death and once or twice, Alana spoke of Graham by herself without being brought there by Hannibal. Now, the priest knew that Will wasn't fond of shrinks at all and wasn't only able to understand killers but was fascinated by them. When Alana, left, Hannibal thought of everything she said. He wanted to know more, what she said wasn't enough yet; it was only giving him a slight peek of a mind which was probably much more complex than what she could see. Even with the little information she gave him, Alana made him realize something: if Graham could empathize with killers like this and if he really was fascinated by them, then he was liable to fall.

That thought was just delicious to Hannibal, making Graham fall just like he was making him fall…Maybe that was God's new game with him. Maybe He didn't send Will Graham to tempt Hannibal, but because He wanted to see if Hannibal was able to turn the profiler into something else…Lecter wished it was true…Still this desire was wrong. Even if God wanted Will to become a player like Hannibal, lusting for him was still wrong. But that face, that body, this, tormented, angelic, icy air, and this mind that only promised even more wonder... Hannibal couldn't help but remember the fantasies he got last time and felt aroused again. His eyes wandered in the room and he saw the whip…

He felt tempted.

A part of him, the most wanton and depraved wanted the pleasure he felt last time he whipped himself while thinking of Will. Yet he knew it was wrong…He stood up and hesitantly took the whip. Maybe it would work this time? He tried to convince himself he was doing this not out of sexual want but to kill the lustful thoughts while undoing his shirt. The first blows of whip only brought pain and Hannibal didn't if he should feel relieved or disappointed. However, as he heard the leather hitting his skin once again, he got an image in his mind.

Will Graham was standing in the room, his wrists tied with ropes hanging from the ceiling, shirtless and gagged…The thought made Hannibal shudder and the whip became pleasurable again. He imagined himself with his whip in his hands, walking slowly around the bound man, touching the skin softly before whipping violently the naked chest he could only imagine. He visualized Will flinching and tugging at his bonds but to no avail while he would whisper sensually at his ear: _There is no point trying to escape. You belong to me now, and I'll punish you as much as I wish._ He shuddered again, imagining having that power over the agent was exciting him to no end, he whipped himself while whipping him in his mind. He saw clearly the agent's back bleeding and he would lick the blood off before taking off the gag to enjoy the screams he would make…

Almost unconsciously Hannibal started to touch himself too, fantasying about Will's knees giving up, his body only held by the rope, exhausted and in pain like a martyr…Hannibal would then untie the ropes and lay him down to ravish him as much as he wanted, punishment and pleasure in one act...

Hannibal panted when he was done. His back was bleeding.

When he was done cleaning the mess he made, he felt the need to talk to someone about what he was feeling, yet the idea to let someone know was shameful. He didn't want to let anyone know that he, Father Lecter, was lowering himself to such things, that the respected priest and gentleman he always showed could yield to lust like that. The only one who came in his mind for that was Bedelia, his psychiatrist (though she wasn't a psychiatrist since a long time). But he didn't want to let her know that, because like Alana, Bedelia was someone he esteemed and if he was to tell her what he was feeling he would be tempted to kill her to clear her mind from such knowledge. For now he had no desire to kill Bedelia.

Then, another solution appeared in his mind and he smiled; It was obvious, why didn't he think about it sooner?

The next day, Hannibal entered a church, not his church but the one in which Father Lowry, an old nice priest, was preaching since years. The two priests knew each other well and Hannibal would confess to him whenever he needed to. After all, even priests had to confess themselves from time to time. He came after the church was closed, wearing casual clothes, he knew Lowry would be in, he knew the man had the habit to stay in his office for some time after closing the church. He rang at the back door, and was soon greeted by his friend.

"Hannibal! I'm glad to see you, it had been a long time," Father Lowry said.

"I know, a little too long."

The two chatted a little before Hannibal explained he was here because he wanted to confess, something that the older priest acknowledged. They went in the confessional and Hannibal started to speak:

"Forgive me Father, for I have sinned.

"I'm listening to you."

"I have…I haven't broken my vows but I feel needs which could bring me to it."

"What kind of needs?"

"…Lust, a desire I never felt before."

"I see. Go ahead."

"I did felt lust before, but never so intensely. I…This time, it's harder to push it away, because it's not only carnal."

The other priest nodded thoughtfully.

"Is this woman one of your parishioners?"

"It's not a woman father, it's another man."

Another silence followed but Hannibal could perfectly tell what kind of reaction the priest had.

"It's even worse. Lusting for a woman is sinful for a priest, but another man! You really must not give in into that sin. It would be utter damnation for you. The Lord doesn't tolerate that. Does that man know?"

"Sometimes I have the feeling he wants to make me feel that way, but I don't know if I'm projecting or not."

"It's possible, when the mind is clouded by that kind of urges, we tend not to think straight. So you didn't talk to him about it?"

"No. It's a profiler. He investigates the death of one of my parishioners. I didn't know why but when I crossed his eyes…One glance from him was hell to fall in."

The sentence sounded poetic, as Hannibal intended, because he didn't want to reduce what he was feeling to simple lust. It was much more complex than that. The older priest didn't seem to understand it though, and it irritated him.

"Did you do something to get rid of that?"

"I prayed, I mortified my flesh…"

"Wait, mortified your flesh?"

"I whipped myself, Father."

This left the priest speechless for some seconds.

"You really did that? It's…My God, you realize that kind of things are completely barbaric?! It's not right to desire another man, but you shouldn't go to such length. No, you need to pray more and stop seeing that man. Hannibal, I never thought you could do such things!"

"The thing is Father, mortifying my flesh didn't help at all."

"Of course it didn't, physical pain isn't…"

"I mean that it only made me desire him more."

The priest fell silent, Hannibal couldn't see him but he was perfectly aware that he was disturbing the older man. He felt enjoyment in this, not only sorting his feelings out but scaring someone like this. He did like Father Lowry, but not enough to spare him.

"When I whipped myself, I really wanted to kill the desire but the more I was doing that, the more I imagined him in the room with me doing…Sinful things. And I started to feel pleasure while I whipped myself, I enjoyed it…And the second I whipped myself again, I admit I did it for pleasure, I enjoyed it. I imagined myself whipping him too, while he would be tied and unable to escape. I don't know which version I enjoyed the most, the one in which he wanted me too, or the one in which I was forcing him."

"My…Listen, this is all very sick, you don't intend to hurt that person, do you?"

"I think about it."

Father Lowry was starting to be really scared, he didn't know who that man was, he didn't know if he was aware of Father Lecter's feelings or not but he feared for him. Sure, Hannibal had always been a really respectable priest, but sometimes sin and temptation could lead some people to horrible acts and the way he was talking...

"You must stay away from him. Hurting that person would be a terrible sin…I…I must ask that question but…Have you…hum…"

"You wonder if I want to rape him for real. I would prefer him to give himself to me, but if he refuses, then…I'll have what I want. No matter what he does, I'll have him at any cost."

He could heard the priest's breath shaking now.

"No, listen to me, this is madness, rape is a sin too, you must reason yourself and chase those thoughts away, ask God for help."

"Oh but I think God has a precise idea for me…It was relieving to talk about this, I needed to sort those thoughts out, thank you Father, I want you to know that you have my gratitude."

"What do you…"

"You have to understand, I don't want anyone to know what I told you."

"You perfectly know that confessions are confidential by a sacred law."

"Some people break the law."

At this instant, Father Lowry understood what it meant. He tried to rush out of the confessional but he was stopped by a sharp pain in his chest. Hannibal was standing before him, a knife in his hand and now in the older man's chest. Lowry looked at Hannibal with stunned horrified eyes, the cannibal stabbed him again, several times and the priest ended up dead on the floor. Hannibal looked at him for a short moment, licked the blood off the knife and then went to the altar and looked at the Cross. He smiled, feeling somewhat appeased though the fire in him was still burning.

Father Lowry was right, his lust was sinful and a part of him hated that he was unable to control his wants but now that he killed Father Lowry, he understood he couldn't stop himself. His desire for Will Graham made him kill someone he esteemed, but more importantly he murdered for someone else, something he didn't do since avenging Mischa. Yet, he was feeling less lost, when he killed the priest, he realized he didn't want to fight anymore against his wants. He could fix that sin of lust: after all God could forgive sinners, and he was sure that God would forgive him once he would have offered him a beautiful sacrificial lamb.


	4. Mea Culpa

**Mea Culpa**

 **Hi Everybody! This chapter will be from Will's perspective, I hope you'll enjoy it!**

The Ripper's case had always been a difficult one, no one would deny that. He just couldn't be caught, his murders were gruesome and it didn't take a genius to understand he was smart and taunting the FBI. However, when Will Graham started to work as a consultant and was asked to work on it, he had the feeling that eventually things would go wrong. It was strange, usually Will wouldn't rely on intuition but on reason and proves, yet he just couldn't shake out the feeling that one day, the Ripper's case would take a very unusual and dangerous turn.

Right now, while examining their last crime scene, Will could feel something had changed, it was the Ripper, but he did something different: he killed a priest.

When he learned that the murder happened in a church, Will had cursed silently, he wasn't really at ease in churches. He didn't know why exactly, but he always found the atmosphere sour and heavy in any of those, he felt oppressed and uneasy. When he had to interrogate Father Lecter it cost him effort to go in the church, and he left as quickly as possible. In order to forget those feelings he focused back on work, which was the best thing he could do.

The Ripper's victims weren't good people, they all had done something wrong, like stealing or cheating, and the killer treated them like pigs, like scums who deserved to be exposed as such in death. He would always take trophies and he did the same with the priest, Father Lowry, only this time, Will could see…Respect.

The body was disposed on the altar, beneath the Cross; his livers had been taken, as well as his heart. His eyes had been closed, his hand had been put on his chest and a rosary had been put between his fingers.

"This one is special," Will muttered. "The Ripper knew him."

Jack and Beverly who were close looked at him, asking him silently to explain more.

"The other victims had been displayed like cattle, he was taking pride in killing them, it was his game, he had no remorse. But here…"

"The corpse is disposed in a respectful way," Crawford continued to acknowledge what he was saying.

"He had been killed in the confessional," Beverly added. "So he moved the corpse here on purpose."

"It was a way to put him under God's protection. But I don't think it's remorse, more like…Beverly, you said he was killed in the confessional?"

"Yes."

Will went to the very spot where the priest was killed, Price and Zeller were working on it, before Will asked anything, Jimmy started to give him explanation.

"There was multiple stabs, it's seems that he was coming out of the confessional when he got killed, then the body fell back in and…Given the amount of blood here, I don't think he was taken away immediately, the killer probably let him here for some minutes before carrying him to the altar."

"Wasn't the church closed when he was killed?"

"Apparently yes," Zeller confirmed. "People saw him close the church, from what I heard."

"Then why was he in the confessional?"

"You're the one who will have to answer that question I fear. We're only here for evidence and it won't be easy, there is way too many various DNA around, that's the problem with public places."

Will gave them a sympathetic smile before returning to the altar. Jack was also observing the scene and told Will that what just happened contradicted his theory according to which the killer was religious. Graham had come to that conclusion recently and Crawford wasn't really fond of it, because there were no evidences to prove it. Yet Will was sure of it.

"Not necessarily, he killed the priest but he showed him more respect. He did display him, but like…Like a martyr, or a sacrifice, like a soul supposed to return to God. He wasn't butchered."

"He took organs."

"Yeah, he has to claim his murder but it wasn't like the others I think…It's some kind of memory, not a trophy, he wants to keep a piece of Lowry with him. It's not a kill out of spite, it's something else."

"Okay, focus and tell me what."

Will closed his eyes and started to reconstruct the scene. _Father Lowry was in the confessional; there is no sign of a fight because he knows me, trust me. As he goes out, I stab him, it's done quickly, I don't exactly enjoy it, even if I don't have hesitation or remorse, because I stab him several times. He falls back in, then…I let him here for a moment, I don't take the corpse immediately. I think of what I'm going to do. Maybe I go pray before the altar, because at this moment, I owe that place, this is God's house and God allowed me to do this. Then I take the corpse and put him here. I don't want him to die anywhere, he was a man of God and he has to be given back to God…I close his eyes, put him in a more dignified position, because it's not my usual prey._

He opened his eyes again. Why was the priest killed in the first place? He wasn't feeling any spite toward him. The confessional…He was in the confessional…Then, it became clear to Will. He went to Crawford.

"He was confessing."

"What?"

"This killer is religious, and according to Price and Zeller, the priest was coming out of the confessional when he was killed, yet the church was already closed."

"So he let someone enter after the regular hour for a confession. You're right, he knew him."

"He wanted to confess a sin, only…He also wanted to kill the person who heard that."

"You mean he confessed his murders but didn't want to risk anything"

"That or maybe he wanted to somehow clear up his sin by killing the person who heard them. He killed that priest out of necessity but also out of pride. Putting corpse like this is…It's not only a way to show respect, it's also a way to be…Forgiven by God. As if he wanted to acknowledge his sins"

"But you said he was persuaded that God approve his crimes."

"Yes, it's another kind of sin he did. I don't think he confessed his murders but something else. Then he killed the one who heard his confession."

"What kind of sin?"

"That's something I can't tell."

"So, you're really sure the Ripper is religious? But he never claimed such motives."

"Maybe…Maybe his motives aren't religious, he thinks God is at his side, that he approves and give him the right to do that. I got that feeling on the crime scenes, this feeling of power on sinners. Now I'm surer than ever. Jack…"

"What?"

"I think arresting him will really be difficult."

"It already is…"

"No I mean that we won't get out of this easily, even for a difficult case, this one will be really tough."

Jack didn't say anything, because Will just confirmed what he also thought. Graham wasn't the only one to have intuitions, Jack was also pretty sure that this was the kind of case which would leave a really big impact, not only because the murders were gruesome or because they risked to find horrid things. No, he felt something way more terrible would happen, even if he couldn't say what exactly. He had the feeling everyone in his team was aware of that, just like him but no one would dare to voice it out, except for Graham. He didn't want to talk about it, he didn't want anyone to worry, plus it probably meant nothing, this case was hard, it was normal to worry over it.

Will got out of the church and didn't notice he was being followed by Beverly. The woman went at his side and it was only when she stood beside him that he noticed her. He smiled softly to her, he knew she thought of him as a strange guy, but it wasn't bothering her that much, she liked him and he liked her too, she was someone warm and nice.

"I heard what you said to Crawford about a confession. Who would have believed?"

"It's hard to imagine the Ripper feeling bad about anything but I'm pretty sure it's the case. Until now it's the most personal thing he did."

"Why didn't you stay inside then? It's probably like a gold mine for the profile."

"Yes, but…I needed some fresh air."

"Are you okay?"

"I don't feel well in churches."

"Neither do I, I must say. What's your reason?"

"I don't know really, but there is some kind of oppressing atmosphere in it, and…My father used to take religion very seriously, and in the end it just put me off it."

"I understand, it was quite the same with me, my parents weren't very religious but we had to go to churches every Sunday and when I grew up as a teenager and started to believe in science instead, they still insisted for me to go with them. They eventually resigned themselves that I wouldn't believe again. I guess we both associate churches with something our parents forced us to do."

"Yeah…I wouldn't have thought you were feeling the same. I thought I was the only one."

"I hide it well," she said quite proudly. "But I must say I'll be glad when we are over. Do you want to take a coffee after that?"

Usually Will would have refused, he had never been good at socializing, but he actually wanted to accept, he wasn't sure why, maybe because he liked Beverly or because he felt it could take his mind away from the case and chase that oppressing feeling he got after getting in a church.

"Okay. Is there a particular place you want to go to?"

"No, there is a Starbucks nearby, we can go there if you want."

"Fine. Well…Let's get in, Jack will kill us otherwise."

"Probably."

After work, they did take a coffee and as Will hoped, it helped him to get distracted from everything which was going on in his head. They spoke about their childhood, something Will was rarely doing because he often felt the impression that people were analyzing him, but Bev was alright. They also spoke about stupid little things, like the type of food they were fond of, or their hobbies. Once they parted, Will felt somehow satisfied, he had never been good to socialize, but for once he did and without much difficulties and having Beverly as a friend would help, he would feel less alone when he worked.

The next day, he had to give a class and it gave him the occasion to see another friend, Alana Bloom. He always liked to see her.

"Hi Will."

"Hey, it's had been a long time. What owe me that visit?"

"I was with a friend not long ago and we spoke about you, that's why I thought about paying you a visit."

"You spoke about me?"

"Yeah, it was Father Lecter, you interviewed him about a murder."

"I remember. You know him? I didn't know you were religious."

"No, I'm not! Hannibal is interested in psychology; he often goes to classes and conferences, that's how we meet. I often think that he could have been a psychiatrist if he wasn't a priest."

"I see. Maybe you should tell him to be careful…"

"I know, a priest was murdered by the Ripper, I read about it and a lot of people talk."

"That kind of murders tends to shock people I guess. The Ripper is already notorious but now he murders a figure of authority and moral values."

"Yes, but we are not obliged to talk about it. We see enough murders, no need to discuss it when we have free time."

Will smiled, she was right indeed. They didn't speak for long but seeing her had been nice, plus it made Will think that maybe he should talk to Father Lecter again, his parish was close to Lowry's one, maybe they knew each other. Plus he could need the point of view of another priest to understand the religious motives of their killer and if in addition to his religious knowledge Lecter was good in psychology as Alana said it, he was the perfect candidate.

This was the reason why the next day, Hannibal had the visit of Will Graham again. He came to the church before it closed and was greeted politely by the priest.

"Agent Graham? It's nice to see you."

"Good evening, Father. I came to you, because our recent case, I don't know if you heard about what happened to Father Lowry."

"Yes…He was…He was an old friend."

At this, Will felt a slight twinge of guilt, he was only doing his job but he knew he was also sharpening the pain of someone who knew the victim.

"I'm sorry for your loss. Do you know if anyone wanted to hurt him, did he have enemies?"

"Not that I know. Last time I saw him, he seemed to be fine."

"When was that?"

"A week ago maybe, before Carl Marlowe was murdered. If you excuse me for a second, I have to close the church, we can talk in my office after that."

"Okay."

Will waited for him to tell people to evacuate the church and close it. He was still not feeling well in there, and now that it was almost deserted, it was even more oppressing. He entered the office and sat on a chair, his back facing the door, waiting for Hannibal to come. He heard the priest come back indeed and was expecting him to take place at his desk, but instead, all Will Graham felt was a big wave of pain at the back of his skull before falling into darkness.

 **Review, please!**


	5. Inferno

**Inferno**

 **Warning! There is rape in this chapter, not too descriptive actually, but I still warn you. Enjoy in spite of that!**

Night was falling already and Hannibal knew no one would come in the church, he locked it, he was the only one who possessed the keys. No one would come to bother him for whatever he had planned and it was for the best because what he planned to do in the house of God was definitely sinful and he wouldn't allow anyone to dare to stop him.

When Will Graham entered his church again today, Lecter didn't take a second time to think, to him, it was a sign of God, it was the right moment to act. He knew it was dangerous, Graham could have told someone he was coming here, but he didn't care, he would confront the consequences later, but for now he would have what he wanted. Seeing the agent again fueled the fire in him once more and when they had found each other in the church, with no one to see them, he had let his desire take control of him. He had grabbed the heaviest thing he could find and knocked Graham out. Oh the agent didn't suspect a single thing, a sacrificial lamb unaware of his fate…

Now, the agent was laying behind the altar, unconscious, his head slightly bleeding from the blow. It didn't matter for now. Hannibal looked at his form and smirked. He knew it was sinful, he knew this could plunge him right in hell, but he enjoyed every single bit of this. Having this man just for him, defenseless, still a mystery and with so many possibilities ahead…All the things he could do…The priest straddled his prisoner, a shiver ran through his body as he did so. Will started to groan and Hannibal knew he had to restrain him right now, he had brought a rope and a bottle of oil, knowing this was necessary. He tied his hands behind his back before putting him back to his initial position to face him again. He caressed his chest through his shirt, slowly, feeling pleasurable shivers again as he did so. Then the agent stirred again and Hannibal stood up to tower over him as he would wake up.

At first, Will just blinked questioningly but Hannibal could see he understood his situation quickly as he tugged on his bonds. It was just so gratifying to see him like this, at his mercy, unable to escape.

"What…"

"I'm glad to see you're back, Will."

"Father, what's happening…?"

"What ought to happen, Will."

With that, he took off his priest's robe and let it fall on the ground. He straddled Will again, and took out a knife which he put right under his throat. He didn't need to tell his captive that he shouldn't try anything foolish, it was useless.

"I want this since we meet, you know. Have you here, like this…"

"You're going to kill me."

"Is that what you think? You're good to read people's mind. Tell me, what do I want?"

"You…"

He pressed the knife further against his skin, stopping Will in his tracks and bringing a single drop of blood out.

"Look at me in the eyes while you talk."

Though Hannibal knew he didn't wish to do that, Will stared straight at him. It was delightful to see those eyes which wouldn't turn away anymore, not before he allowed him too. The unreachable wild man with that scent of snowy forest was now under his grasp. The priest felt like a wolf and it was delicious.

"You're the Ripper, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"And you're going to kill me."

"Oh no, unless you force me to. You actually have the choice in the matter."

Hannibal threw himself over him and forcefully put his lips on Will's for a kiss.

He could feel his captive tense under him but he couldn't care less as he pressed himself entirely against him, pinning him against the floor and encircling him with his arms, one hand gripping his hair to held his head in place. He could feel him struggle and hear him whimper in protest, but it didn't stop him, on contrary, it just added to the pleasure he was feeling, the thrill to dominate him, to punish the one who tormented him, to finally have these lips and mouth which made him fantasize and to touch that skin and feel the warm flesh…He felt pain on his tongue and retreated his head: Will just bit him. The profiler ignored that pain could enhance the priest's pleasure, and this little defiance pleased Hannibal. To look at those intense blue eyes growing fierce and full of fire…An angel of revenge and anger couldn't have looked more entrancing! Yet, he smacked Will hard, to show him he shouldn't try to resist. This made the younger man yelp in pain. Hannibal didn't waste time to regain his composure.

"What the hell?!"

Hannibal had a slight smirk at this, it was definitely genuine.

"You really didn't suspect a thing didn't you? For a time, I thought you were doing all this on purpose, but no! Isn't it even more hellish? You didn't even need to do a thing, your simple being is made to tempt and drive people to sin…"

"You're sick."

He got smacked again. The blow was followed by a caress on his cheek.

"You drove me to sin. Your beauty isn't a simple gift of God, it's the devil's work to drive people wild…You succeeded with me, I have to give you that, you're one of the rare people who made my desire stronger than my senses. Yet with me, that kind of victory has a price: I'm giving you the choice, either you give yourself to me willingly, either I kill you."

Will looked at him with a horrified expression.

"Don't do this…"

"Too late. You made me want you, now it's time for consequences. Once again, it's very simple, you're mine or you die."

He leaned at his ear and whispered:

"I killed Father Lowry after confessing you know. And I confessed my lust for you. I murdered him because he knew my weakness. Because of you."

This seemed to horrify his captive and Lecter smirked once again before kissing and nipping his neck. Will tried to struggle even more, as Hannibal was pressed against him, the bound man could probably feel how much his captor enjoyed this all.

"Stop it, stop it right now! It's sinful Father, isn't it?! You'll burn in hell for that!"

Lecter knew Will was trying to play on his fears, and if he wasn't that determined, it could have worked but sadly for him, he was. He looked at him right in the eyes, their faces so close they could feel each other's breaths on their lips.

"Oh I know that, I know. But I can't go back, I need this…I don't care if that means damnation. Now, choose, do you want to die or let me have you?"

Hannibal honestly wished Will would say yes, yet the horror on his prisoner's face made it evident that he wouldn't.

"I'd rather die."

This rejecting made Hannibal fume inside. A part of him knew he would say no, it was a normal reaction, but he didn't care, Will was not a normal man.

"Then you'll die Will."

For a moment, he considered stabbing him but he couldn't, instead Hannibal kissed his lips once again, then trailed his mouth to his neck and his lips meet the drops of blood that he made earlier on his throat; Hannibal licked those away in rapture. His blood tasted good too…Without thinking, he bit at Will's neck hard, tearing the skin to draw out blood, making him scream in pain. He could have bit at the wound he made but he didn't, he wanted to draw out the blood with his teeth like an animal, he wanted to make him cry out in agony. He sucked out the blood and tasted it once again and this very taste, the very essence of that man made him burn even more and he felt he didn't want to waste another second.

He did what was needed without thinking about it, taking off their remaining clothes, using the oil, hitting him to stop him from struggling, this was all details, and all he thought about was finally taking him. He used his knife to tear off his shirt away; something which made Will struggle even more.

"Stop it!"

A scream echoed in the church as well as a sigh.

Hannibal embraced him tightly and possessively, he bit at his neck, sucked the blood while trusting in, this was just perfect! He was feeling the object of his love and obsession in many ways and he loved it, he couldn't care about anything else, he was ecstatic, the intense feeling of power and ownership, the sensation of Will's warmth and skin against his and the pleasure of his flesh around him, that scent of woods, the sounds of pain he would make and the taste of blood…It that was just driving him half-crazy, all this melted into the fire which consummated him completely! He trusted hard, his nails dug into Will's skin and drew out more blood, earning more yelps of pain from his captive.

"You're mine now…You won't ever leave me," he murmured at his ear between gasps.

He bit Will's ear while scratching between his shoulder's blade. He continued in spite of Will's evident pain, in fact, it just enticed him more, for a moment, when he looked at Will screaming, his face contorted in agony, he felt satisfied, now it was his turn to suffer, it was his turn to feel the flames and feel like the Devil was destroying him inside…

The fire only grew, fueled by everything he was feeling and eventually, the flames burned him completely. For a moment, he felt nothing but pure bliss and contentment.

He rested on his captive until he caught his breath, his head nestled in the crook of Will's neck. Hannibal looked up at him and saw he was fighting against the tears. He caressed his cheek almost lovingly.

"Even in such a moment, your pride is still here. It's almost sinful. But now with such a beauty, I guess you couldn't be anything but sinful…"

Will's face twitched, Lecter was pretty sure he wanted to say something but remained silent because he feared to burst into sobs if he tried to talk. Hannibal kissed him on the temple and put his head back in his neck. Graham's breath was shaken, but the rest of his body was unmoving. Now that the priest was resting, he could think. He rarely did things that were unplanned and what he did now was totally unplanned. It came in his mind when Will entered the church, because he felt it was the right occasion but he had no idea of what he would do exactly. He just followed his desire, brought the unconscious Will near the altar and sinned under the eyes of God. He didn't want to hide, because it was useless, he wanted God to see him do this, to show that at least he wasn't trying to hide that from him.

Now, what should he do? He could kill Will, after all he refused to give himself to him, he chose death. It would be wiser, he wouldn't be tempted anymore, he would have this memory with him forever. Yet he remembered what he thought for a time: maybe the Lord wanted sent Will Graham to see whether or not Hannibal could transform him into a real believer. He couldn't refuse to do as the Lord wanted after sinning like this, his only way to cleanse his sin was to do God's will. Plus, even for himself did he really want to kill Graham? Even if it wasn't God's will to see him corrupted, Hannibal always wanted more than Will's body, killing him after tasting him would just leave him with a void inside, he would always know he missed something big.

Hannibal already kept some people prisoner in the past, he had arranged a room in his basement for that, he could perfectly lock Will down there. Yes…Have him here, in his home, under his command…He could have him as much as he wanted and in every way he wished.

He stood up and started to dress, looking all the while at Will's face, wondering what he was thinking. The agent looked mortified and empty, except for that hint of a fight in his eyes, a fight against the tears. Oh Hannibal loved that, even if he called it sinful, he loved that even after such a moment, Will was trying his best to keep some dignity.

"I hope you'll forgive me, I'll have to knock you down again."

Once dressed, he approached Will again and seized his head and he had the feeling that Will was relieved of that. It took only one blow on the ground to make him fall into darkness again. Hannibal kissed his unconscious captive lovingly. Graham would go through more pain in the future, because that was the way of God: first the punishment, then the salvation. Hannibal knew he would definitely enjoy giving Will both.

 **Here it is! I must say I prefer what some call a 'veiled erotism' rather than very descriptive scene. Don't hesitate to review, constructive comments are always appreciated!**


	6. Penitence

**Penitence**

 **Okay, here is the new chapter, from Will's point of view, our poor profiler isn't out of the bushes yet, far from it.**

When Will woke up, the first thing he felt was pain and cold, his mind was dizzy and his body felt numb in spite of the vivid suffering. He blinked several time to clear his mind and remembered then: he had been...He gulped and felt tears coming in his eyes, but it stopped as he realized he had no idea where he was. He looked around; he was in a room without windows, with only a dim light. It was exactly like a cell, a sink and a toilet and the bed he was lying in. With horror, he noticed one of his feet was chained to the bed, with a long and quite heavy chain which fell on the floor like a snake. His heart beat faster, of course either the Ripper had to kill him or he had to lock him; now he was at the mercy of that man!

This very thought made his eyes go wet and he started to panic, he tried to get up but it was like his strength had left him and he couldn't even stand. He felt vertigo and guessed he had been probably drugged. God, no! This couldn't happen, it was a nightmare, it just couldn't happen! He let out a whimper as a wave of pain crossed his body. Tears started to roll on his cheeks when he thought again of what happened...No, he couldn't cry, he wouldn't cry! But it was almost impossible, all he could think of was this, the pain and humiliation, and that sensation to be soiled in the worst way possible and to be nothing but a simple object. He couldn't stop thinking of the noises the priest would make, of his lips on his skin and the way he forced him to look in his eyes…He couldn't stay here, he had to escape now! But his damn body wouldn't respond! He let himself fall on the bed and he thought of screaming for help but stopped himself. A voice in his mind reminded him he should be ashamed for panicking.

 _What are you, some kind of poor damsel in distress? You were a cop, now you're a FBI agent, behave like one!_

Yes, he had to calm down; he was used to danger after all. But what happened to him was…No, he had to push that away and stop thinking about it! If he wanted to avoid it in the future, he had to leave this place! Taking a deep breath to regain all his composure, Will quickly assessed the situation: he could see had been dressed back in a simple shirt and in boxers, he was in what looked like a cellar and he was chained to the end of the bed. He shivered, he had a cover but it wasn't that warm, and this room was cold.

He was the prisoner of the Ripper, what time was it now? When he visited Lecter, it was the early evening, he had been knocked out twice, he didn't know how long he remained unconscious each time, but he...His train of thought was interrupted by the image of Lecter kissing him. Stop! It had to stop, he had to focus! He didn't know how long he remained unconscious each time, but it had probably not be that long, maybe it was still the same night, no one noticed his absence already. It wouldn't last, he had to go to work the next morning, his colleagues would wonder where he was, Jack wouldn't let it pass like that. For once, he was glad that Jack used to keep an eye on him; at least his boss wouldn't overlook his absence.

He thought of his dogs, he hoped they would be fine in the meantime, if his absence was noticed, someone would probably think of them, maybe Alana or even Beverly or Jack.

As he thought his colleagues, he remembered how he told Jack that he had the feeling something would go wrong with the Ripper, something especially gruesome could happen. Well he was right, he was damn right! He almost cried again as images filled his mind again but he forced himself to push those away again and again. He would act like an agent, not like a victim! He was maybe unstable, often scared by his empathy but he was strong and determined; he wouldn't let the Ripper destroy him like that. It wasn't that terrible, right? Yes it was an awful experience but he would be fine, he wasn't maimed or dead, as long as he was alive he could escape and then he would be fine…right?

 _Of course I'll be fine, I just have to stop thinking about it..._

But when he would escape, would he have to…To tell everyone what happened? He felt already soiled but when he imagined his colleagues learning what happened to him, the shame grew and it was almost unbearable to imagine their faces, what they would say, how they would either look at him with pity or disgust and how they would always look at him like a victim…It would be almost as if they were looking at him while it happened, and he couldn't handle that! Maybe he could just tell Jack and have it kept secret but he was pretty sure everyone would eventually learn about this…

His thoughts were interrupted as he heard the door open and fear assaulted him, for a second he prayed it was Jack or someone of the FBI who would rescue him but no such thing happened. He saw Father Lecter opening the door and he turned his eyes away, still looking at him in the corner of his eyes however. This didn't seem to disturb the priest anyway, he just went to his captive and sat on the bed at his side. Will wanted to get away badly but he could barely get his body to move.

"I hope you'll forgive me, I didn't want to take any risks, I imagine you already guessed I injected you with something."

"What…did you gave me?"

"It doesn't matter."

The man just checked his condition, how the wound on his head was healing and if he was sick or not. Graham was repulsed by his touch but he didn't have much of a choice but endure for now and though he wanted to speak, no words could come out of his mouth. Once he was over, the priest leaned down to kiss him but Will turned his head away, only allowing the priest's lips to fall on his neck instead. A shiver of disgust went through him as he felt an arm circling his waist as well as those lips which were like leeches for him.

"Stop it…"

He meant to yell but he couldn't manage to, his voice was too weak, he hated it.

"I reached a point of no return with you. There is no stopping now."

He bit on his skin and Will let out a yelp of pain and tensed under him, remembering too well the pain he felt when Hannibal pierced his skin with his teeth to drink his blood earlier. God, he was scared, he hated that but he was really scared. It seemed like Hannibal felt it and surprisingly, he stopped and his look was almost tender. It was only more disturbing and disgusting for Will.

"I'll let you rest for now. But we will have to start your penitence soon."

"My what?"

"Your penitence; you tempted me Will, there is something sinful in you, and you must go through punishment. It's only once you'll have received it that I'll show you the true ways of God."

"I did nothing wrong! I never tempted you!"

"Yes you did. And even if you didn't do it on purpose, it's still a fault. As I said, if your simple being is enough to tempt someone like me without doing anything, then there is something sinful in you. But you didn't do that only, you got into my head, you read me, you tried to expose me. It's okay to get pathetic little killers, but me? You have a wonderful gift given by God and you used it to get one of his most faithful believers."

"You're sick! Killing is not a way to worship God…"

"Of course it is. Killing low sinners is one, God loves bloodsheds. It's them you should pursue. Don't worry, in time I'll teach you how to use your gift and how to worship the Lord. Then you'll wish to stay with me."

If there was something Graham knew for sure, it was that he would never wish such a thing. Hannibal gave him a quick kiss on the lips and then leaned to his ear, after scratching it with his teeth he whispered:

"But I must say, I kind of enjoyed hearing you read my mind without even knowing it was me. When you'll have learned, I'll love to hear you again."

"You said you would teach me…What do you really want?"

"You'll understand later. For now, there are some things we need to get straight."

He sat more straightly and grabbed Will be the hair, pulling harshly on it, making his captive hiss in pain.

"Look at me, I want to be sure you understand."

With utter disgust, Graham forced himself to look at his eyes, those eyes he abhorred; he felt like he was being undressed and violated again, he could read his own shame in those eyes. Not bothered by this, Hannibal went on:

"I will keep you chained, and except when I'll come to unchain you, I will never carry the key with me. This means that if you try to kill me and even if you succeeded, you would find yourself locked here with no one to hear you, and you would die slowly. Now I will unchain you from time to time, if you try to hurt me or escape when I do so, remember that I will take revenge on someone else outside. It could be dear Alana Bloom, your boss, any of your colleagues or some of your students. Got it?"

Will simply nodded and Hannibal kissed him again, the prisoner gagged and considered the idea of biting his tongue again but the warning had been enough to stop him. This man could kill someone for that, he kidnapped him and…Forced himself on him just because he found him attractive, he could perfectly kill someone if he dared to defy him, Will was sure of it. So he just waited for the kiss to be over, it seemed to be an eternity. Once their lips parted Hannibal left and instructed him to rest. Tomorrow will be a big day, he said.

The drugs were making him feel nauseous but it wasn't the worse. The whole situation and the feeling to be soiled and dirty was the worse. He wanted to shower, badly, h almost wanted to tear off every inch of his skin to get rid of that feeling. He wiped his lips weakly; he could still feel the man's saliva on his own and that was making him maybe even sicker than the drugs.

Time passed slowly and he just couldn't find sleep. He started to think about about his past. He told Beverly he hated churches because his father took religion very seriously and it was true. His father wasn't cruel, he didn't grow up with a male Margaret White, but sometimes his childhood had been difficult mentally speaking. Not only they were moving too often, never allowing him to truly settle and have a place he could really call home and long-term friends, but his father was also very strict and believing God would punish them even for stupid things.

He remembered one day in particular when he was ten, he had went with another boy of his school named Jack to the river to play, he brought along Jumper, his dog. Some girls joined them in their game, among them was Kate, a girl he had a crush on. He remembered that at a point, they found each other beneath a tree and shyly, he told Kate he liked her. Upon hearing this, the girl shyly kissed him on the lips and the other kids made fun of them. Both of them blushed, it had been overall innocent but next day at school, when his father came to pick him up, Jack teased him about the kiss again, allowing his father to learn about it. He learned later that Kate's mom joked about it, but his father took it seriously. He lectured Will about it, saying it was sinning to go to girls and that he was starting to grow up and would soon have to control his urges. Will was puzzled about that and scared. The way his father put it, it was scary to grow up.

Only three days after the kiss, his dog died. He was old and it was probably the reason why he passed away, but his father saw things otherwise. He brought Will to the church that day while the boy was still crying, he made him sit on a bench and what he said was probably what started his aversion of churches.

" _Will, Jumper died for a reason, God wanted it, and you know why?"_

" _Because he was old?"_

" _No. The Lord claimed him back because of the fault you committed the other day."_

" _Because I kissed a girl? But I didn't want to do something wrong…"_

 _His father put an arm around his shoulders and hugged him._

" _I know you weren't thinking wrong, but it's still a fault. Will, Jumper saw you grow up, he was with you all your childhood, but when you kissed that girl, you killed your childhood and that's why the Lord killed Jumper. You're starting to become a man now."_

 _This made Will shiver and he couldn't stay a thing. His dad raised his chin to look at him in the eyes._

" _I can see it in your eyes. You're not the same little boy anymore. Pray, ask the Lord for forgiveness and then you'll pray for help and protection."_

 _Will didn't feel strong enough to pray, he felt empty, sad and guilty. Was his father right? Did he kill Jumper and his childhood? Did he really change into something he couldn't even really understand yet? He knew his father was sometimes exaggerating, some people told that to him already, but what if this time he was right?_

 _Seeing he had no reaction, his father urged him to pray and Will did, he prayed emptily but he wanted to go out of there, he wanted to go to his room and hide there to cry. Yet he couldn't leave, his father wouldn't let him. Then he started to feel bad in here, he started to feel prisoner, judged, oppressed, guilty and sad._

During the course of his teenage hood, Will questioned the existence of God. With time, he understood he wasn't responsible of the death of Jumper, and he got pretty sure God didn't really exist. His father's reaction after Kate made him create a barrier in his mind during the first years of his teenage hood, he hardly dared to talk to people of his age, girls especially. It took him time but eventually, he got a girlfriend, even if it didn't last long, it helped him broke the barrier. Yet he knew this all contributed to his asocial behavior, even if he didn't see sex as a sin, he had been somehow forced to isolate himself from others as he grew up.

He remembered the day he announced to his father he didn't believe in God anymore, he was eighteen and was about to leave to have his own life. His dad had yelled, even cried and repeated he would go to Hell, but eventually, he resigned himself to it. He told Will he would pray for his son to come back to his senses, but Will promised his dad he would be fine and would have a decent life nonetheless.

His father hadn't been aware of this, but he somehow put his son in a prison even if he thought he was doing the best for him. With time, Will eventually found a way through it. He felt even more furious to be in another prison, made by religion again. Only this time, it was way worse, his father was a bigot but he wasn't cruel and he never made him hate himself so much. This man here was a fanatic, a true monster. At least, his father loved him and while he did some errors, he genuinely did what he thought was the best for him. This man however just took him like you take a prized object for his pleasure and did…horrible things to him. More would come he knew that, but he escaped many terrible things in his life, and no matter what, he would escape this prison. Anger invaded him while he was staring at the darkness, filling him with a new dangerous strength. No, he wouldn't let the Ripper win, he would destroy him or he would die trying.

 **I love Will when he is determined and on a fighting mood! Don't hesitate to review!**


	7. Martyr

**Martyr**

 **Here is the next chapter! Have a good time (in contrary to Will).**

The next morning after Will's arrival, Hannibal gave him some food and briefly unchained him to allow him to dress properly. Though he wanted to punish Will, he wouldn't have allowed himself to be rude to him and deny him proper clothes, that kind of humiliation was just low. Will eagerly accepted those, however he didn't touch the food, yet Hannibal wasn't surprised, that kind of behavior was normal for rape victims.

A part of him cursed himself for not waiting, he should have tried to seduce Will, bring him into his world slowly, but when he had seen him in the church…His desire took over. Yet when he thought about it, it was better that way, seeing him suffering under him, forced into submission had been so powerful and thrilling and now, he would have a new challenge: having to make Will come at his side and seduce him in spite of his current repulsion. Graham deserved punishment anyway, and Hannibal needed to kill him a little inside to make him rebirth into something new. Forcing himself on him was an efficient way. He couldn't resist the lust now, he knew it. So if he couldn't make Will become his willingly, then he would have to kill him. He would consume his flesh one way or another.

Now it was the evening, and once he was back from work, Hannibal was preparing another of his fantasies: he had put some light drugs in Will's food and though he didn't accepted it this morning, hunger won him over and when Hannibal gave him dinner he eat it. It wasn't long to take effect and soon his prisoner was barely conscious. All he had to do now was to tie him as he wished…He fixed the roped and seized his captive. It was really delightful to have him like this, pliant, at his mercy. He took an instant to kiss his lips and face while he wouldn't resist. He mused over the fact it had been a really long time since he didn't kiss anyone. Until he kissed Will, he hadn't realized that he actually missed that kind of contact. Then he eagerly took off his shirt, leaving him only in the black pants he gave him. Perfect. He wasn't really long, Will wasn't the first person he would tie like that but it would definitely be the most enjoyable time.

He waited for Will to wake up, his hands behind his back, hiding the item he would use with him. He admired his work meanwhile, he just loved it, it was like he imagined. Will was tied in the center of the room by two ropes hanging from the ceiling, his arms apart, his feet touching the ground but not supporting him for now. With grunts, his captive woke up and looked puzzled then scared when he realized what was happening to him. Then he noticed Hannibal standing and his look turned angry but he could still see a hint of fear in his eyes.

"What are you doing?"

"I told you, you need to get through a punishment."

"What you did to me isn't enough already?"

"With your empathy, you should know the answer."

"I guess the Ripper can't have enough…"

Father Lecter smirked at this answer. Indeed, he wasn't one to give up on what he wanted.

"What is behind your back?"

Without giving him any answer, he started to walk around him, circling him like some kind of vulture, he savored his reaction when he was behind him, out of his sight. Will's body tensed, even more cautious when he couldn't see his next move. He didn't let him see what he was hiding, no, his prisoner would have to discover.

"Tell me, what do you enjoy the most: the sensation of power or watching me like this?" Asked Will.

"Both, it's always a powerful sensation to subdue someone," Hannibal answered still walking around him. He found himself behind his back again and put his lips just behind Graham's ear, making both of them shiver in the process: "Haven't you ever felt it?"

"I never did anything like this to someone," Will replied while trying to move his head away.

"No, but you tracked down people…like a predator," Hannibal backed away slightly before going on. "You arrested some dangerous killers. I also heard you killed someone…Remind me his name?"

"Does that matter?"

"It might. Or do you prefer to leave him nameless, like a random prey?"

"He wasn't…"

But Will stopped himself here, Hannibal wondered why. He walked around him again, to see his face and noticed Will seemed determined. He had to admit it was quite impressive. When he was behind Will's back once again, Hannibal finally did what he fantasized about: he hit his captive's back hard with the whip. This made his prisoner yell out in pain and Hannibal watched as his face contorted before looking at him in horror.

"Have you heard about mortification of flesh?"

Will closed his eyes and his mouth twitched at this. Hannibal went behind him again and hit his back again, making him yelp but not as hard as the first time. Some pearls of blood were springing out before dripping slowly on the skin in cascades. The sight was breathtaking; Hannibal observed it to have it carved in his memory. He was almost surprised when he heard Will speaking.

"I guess you didn't get that whip only for me, _Father._ Do you often feel the need to make yourself suffer like that?"

"Only when I need to fight off something particularly strong I shouldn't yield to. I never used this one with someone…"

Another blow followed, and Will stopped himself from screaming, merely grunting instead. Oh this was only making Hannibal long for his screams even more, it made him think of the time in the church, when Will wasn't holding back…

"But I must say, it's a really pleasant experience."

"Also very hypocritical," Will pointed out.

This made Hannibal stop for a mere moment. His prisoner was panting slightly, trying to stay strong.

"You pretend you're doing this out of religious intent, but it's patently untrue…You're simply doing that because it makes you kink, nothing more."

At this, Hannibal frowned; it wasn't exactly true, he really wish to satisfy God, inflicting pain to Will was a way to show his devotion. Now, it was also true that God wasn't his only motive…He whipped his back again harshly, earning this time a yelp of pain, and some more drops streamed on his back. Two other blows followed, harsh to punish Will for questioning his faith, then he went to face his prisoner again and grabbed his jaw tenderly.

"You're making it this all way too simple, my dear. I sure enjoy it, I won't deny that, but this isn't my only reason. You'll understand one day."

"Understand that I should enjoy pain?"

"Pain can reveal more beauty than people think. Now, you'll have to find which way you want to enjoy it."

Another blow followed those words, and another. Hannibal devoured with his eyes the sight of Will, the small rivers of blood dripping over his naked back, his efforts not to show his pain, a mixture of strength and weakness, he had the dignity of a martyr while he was the object of his temptation. Lecter mused again over the fact that Graham was demonic and holy at the same time. No wonder he developed this obsession. He felt arousal, in his fantasies he tended to imagine whipping his chest, but he discovered he preferred to whip his back, he wanted his torso to remain as it was. His back however would be beautiful, lacerated, marked by the traces of pain and obsession…

Will's knees weakened and he let the ropes support his weight more and more. His back was bloodied and Hannibal dropped the whip. Seizing his prisoner's sides gently, he held him in place while he ran his tongue over the blood-soaked skin. He felt Graham flinch and try to pull away but he didn't let him, he wanted to taste him again, to swallow that thick crimson liquid which was his very essence. His arousal only grow with the coppery taste in his mouth, it was better than wine. With his lips still stained, Hannibal faced Will again and kissed him, making him taste his own blood and this made the priest's lust rage, having Will's blood and lips at the same time…

When he broke the kiss, Will let out a whimper and he dropped his head, exhausted. Hannibal lifted it to see those beautiful blue eyes barely open and the lust left him for a moment, replaced by worry. He looked at Will's back again and was reassured to see the injuries weren't really bad, not worse than what he inflicted to himself in the past. It was probably a combination of that and the drugs and the shock that weakened Will like this. Yet it was enough, this sight had been delicious, licking his blood had been thrilling, he didn't need to whip him anymore, he had to keep some control of himself otherwise he would cause him serious injuries. He untied him and for a moment, Will fell in his arms but his prisoner pushed him away soon to try to stand on his own. Their eyes crossed for a moment, fire burned in those icy eyes of Will…

This almost made Hannibal lose control again. For a moment he wished nothing but rush at him, throw him on the floor and ravish him until Will would vanish…Yet when he saw the other man leaning against the wall for balance, he decided against it. No, aside from the lust, the anger, the need to punish, Hannibal was also feeling some kind of tenderness for Will, a tenderness that wouldn't stop him from making him suffer but would make him put limits in cruelty. At least as long as Will behaved. He seized Will, in spite of the struggle his prisoner tried to oppose at first and led him to the bed.

"Come on, I'll tend you wounds. You'll be allowed to take a shower after that."

"That's too nice of you."

Will laid on his stomach, his back exposed and Hannibal chained looked at it one last time before chaining his feet to the bed again and getting what was necessary to heal him. Will almost didn't speak at first while he tended his wounds, probably too tired. Hannibal took some strange pleasure to do it, maybe because he was feeling in control, maybe because he liked to admire his work, maybe because he enjoyed showing Will some gentleness after this harsh punishment.

"What was your feeling while I did this?"

"Why do you care?"

"Because I'm interested, it's the point in bringing you here. Once again, you're making this all too simple. I believe…"

He stopped mid-sentence and had a slight smile at the idea which just hit him. It could be interesting.

"What?"

"I was just thinking. There is something that surprise me: you didn't ask me to let you go. It would be a normal reaction."

"Would that be efficient?"

Of course they both knew the answer, Hannibal simply made a small huff of amusement, clearly meaning it wouldn't.

"I perfectly know you don't want to let me go," Will continued. "You told me you reached a point of no return. And even if you didn't tell me, I would have known. You kidnapped me and let me see your face, which means you have no intention to release me. There is something I want to know…"

"What?"

"Just like the whip, I guess this room already existed before you meet me…How many people?"

"Not much actually. And none of them stayed for really long."

"Did you felt for them what you feel for me?"

"What do you think I feel for you?"

"…Obsession."

Hannibal was already done with his wounds now. He looked at his prisoner, lying on that bed, after enduring the mortification, still so handsome and still trying to fight one way or another...He leaned down and kissed the back of his neck, Graham tried to get away from his touch but Hannibal grabbed his shoulder firmly and started to kiss the skin, starting from the neck to the jawline. Yes, this man was his obsession; he had wanted him since the beginning, he had been obsessed by his lust and fascination, by his need to possess him, by the erotic fantasies in which Graham almost haunted him and by the possibility of a real emotional and intellectual relationship the two could share because of Will's fascination for killers. His kisses became more passionate and he caressed Will's sides, avoiding the wounds as much as he could.

"Don't," said Will firmly but with a touch of fear. "The wounds will reopen."

But Hannibal didn't listen at all and started to undo his pants. Will tried to struggle but Hannibal slapped his wounded back hard, making him yell.

"Don't try to resist. You're chained, you can't escape, you'll just make me hurt you."

Will let out a bitter laugh and Hannibal continued with what he was doing. His prisoner tried to struggle again in spite of his warning, which obliged Hannibal to hit him and inject him a small dose of drugs again, not enough to send him into sleep, but enough to weaken him. He wanted Will to feel it all, to feel the way he would possess him again. It was as good as the first time in the church; it wasn't all new, but it was here, in his home, with a chain and after the whipping. He kissed him, touched him, nipped at his skin, and licked some blood which remained before finally taking him again. Will attempted to bury his head in the pillow but Hannibal seized his hair and turned his head to the size, so he could at least see half of his face while possessing him.

"Don't dare to turn away again."

He leaned mainly on his arms, not lying on his back, aware of how much it could hurt him, yet it was sometimes hard to remember this while the sensation were taking over. It was like a raging fire again, burning him completely, deliciously torturing him from the inside, and every little flinch, every pained sounds and the look of suffering on his captive's face were only a part of those hellish flames that consumed him entirely. He intensified his pace, burying his nails in Will's shoulders, not enough to draw out blood but to feel the flesh.

Once he was done, he let Will rest and eventually unchained him to bring him into the bathroom and let him shower. His captive had eyes of stone after what happened, it made no doubt Will was angry, behind the stony look. He remembered that line from poem by William Blake which fitted Will perfectly: A robin redbreast in a cage puts all heaven in a rage…No…A robin redbreast in a cage puts all _hell_ in a rage…That was better to define what he could see in Will's eyes.

 **Review, please!**


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